Laila, Laila

Strange goings on at the store I teach, I usually divvy up looms depending on skill and if students have a floor loom at home - this time around all four of my students own looms which are all decent sizes.

I am considering taking the Laila to the store for a student to use for the next few weeks, but I have to reassemble it in order to do so which will take some time as it has no texsolv and is in pieces.  There comes a point when prep time for a class diminishes the payoff, but I do have to put the loom together at some point anyway soon.

Or I could make all of them use a table loom?

Big Show in October

A year or so ago I won a guaranteed entry into a juried art show.  Last year I had to decline due to regular work obligations, college courses and work on our old home, did not permit time to produce.  I just received a "save the date" for the fall show and the committee was kind enough to defer my entry.

My question is, what should I produce?  It is a high end show in an affluent area, however do I produce volume of one item or variety?  My initial idea was to create volume of easily produced fast sellers along with some higher end items nicely displayed.  Then see what generates the most interest.

Bagpuss Syndrome

Waaaay back when I was a wee lass, there was a show with a stuffy, baggy old fabric toy cat named Bagpuss, who always ended the show with a looooong yawn.  Well folks, I feel like Bagpuss!

Work at 8am - 3pm (with young children)
then home to my own young children, pre- dinner dinner & homework
off to get my big girl and stop for food for her (dinner wasn't an option as Tues nights are 2 sport nights & hubby is in Manhattan till 9:30 pm)
2nd "kinda" dinner, finish homework, laundry and off to sport 1 with son #2
back to pick up son number 1 for sport #2
stop at grocery store to buy supplies for Wed, Thur & Fri dinner and lunches
off to pick up son number 2 and friend
come home and clean up the trash that the puppy strewn all over kitchen and put away groceries
glass of wine - still no dinner for me as now it is 9:45 pm and I am pooped
son number 2 in shower and bedtime snack before son # 1 has shower and snack and hopefully no supply runs for teenage daughter (we ran out to store at 9:30 pm last night for copy paper and ink for term papers)
2nd glass of wine and dreaming of reading the last few chapters of the thriller that I usually wake up in bed with in the morning after only making it through 3 paragraphs.

And in less than 7 hours, the whole process begins again....

yawn..... goodnight Bagpuss

Threading the Pattern Heddles of the Single Unit Drawloom

Two Sets of Heddles to Thread

I am sure a novice weaver would be very confused if I were to tell you I have to put each warp end through two heddles on different shafts.

The draw loom warp is beamed and I am preparing the pattern heddles into groups or units.  In damask/satin weaves a five shaft satin works well for patterns with curves as it does not have a clean cut line.  I love curves!  So this weave will be a 5 shaft satin.  Pattern heddles are in groups of 5 attached to one weight called a lingo.

The calculations are:

16/2 cotton warp at 560 ends, epi of 28.  5 shaft satin = five heddles per unit.  560 ends div by 5 = 112 units.  112 units div by 4 pattern shafts = 28 per shaft.

Drawcord warp is in groups of 10 so 112 div 10 = 11.2 groups.  I am excited to get my draw loom back up and working!

Drawloom Makes Progress

FINALLY!!!!

I went down to my studio and actually got something done!

Some time ago I documented the building of the frame extension for the Drawloom.  Today I was able to sleigh the reeds (two are required for the draw harness) and position the drawcord warp.

The drawcord warp was beamed on thewarp beam over head when seated at the loom.  This warp is in groups of ten.  10 yellow alternating with 10 brown.  The drawcord warp lifts the pattern shaft units according to the graph drawing/design.  Spaces are left so that the drawcord warp can pass between the texsolv cords that support the shafts. (above)

The drawcord warp is then threaded through a second reed which is set above the pattern shafts at the back of the loom.  No spaces are left in this reed. (above)

The second reed is placed into position above the pattern shafts. (above)

This is a view of the front of the loom with the reed in place.  The reed allows for easy selection of cord to lift the corresponding pattern shafts. (above)

The view from the back shows the drawcord warp in position in the second back reed.  The actual warp needs to be beamed prior to positioning these drawcord threads.  The "warp" will be threaded first through pattern shafts and then through ground shafts at the front of the loom.

As the loom requires an extension, the pawl for the back warp beam is relocated.

Hopefully tomorrow the actual warp can be beamed.  Then the pattern heddles have to be grouped into the appropriate units and weighted with lingoes before the warp can be threaded through the long eye ground heddles.

What Am I Blogging About?

Pardon my absence but it has been a while.  Turns out, I never did get my Christmas towels done after all.  However, I am starting a new beginners weave class at Woolbearer's in Mount Holly NJ on January 22nd.

So, the draw loom has to be set up (still) and the Christmas Towel warp will go on that, the never started bedspread on the AVL and a deflected double weave ruana on the Toika.

I suppose winter is as good a time as any!